Tender Torture
by emileighhs
Summary: In which Katniss constantly runs to Peeta for comfort and actually ends up pregnant during the Quarter Quell. Overused plot but give it a chance c:
1. Chapter 1

_And I've seen some great things,_

_But I don't want to see anything_

_If I cant see you._

_Kicked open a coconut,_

_Could've shared it with anyone,_

_But I wanted to share it with you._

_You send me over in tender torture._

_And when it's over, it's tender torture._

* * *

Katniss scrambled out of her bed and flew into the bathroom, making it just in time to empty her stomach contents into the toilet. She gripped the sides of the porcelain bowl and took a few deep breaths. Her nightmares were only getting worse. At first, right after the Games, Katniss's dreams were so real she could have sworn she was back in the arena. Mutts and spears and a dead Peeta haunted her sleep for so long. Finally, just when she thought maybe things were getting better, this happens. It's the fifth time a nightmare has actually made her physically sick.

She stands up, flushing the toilet and rinsing her mouth out with water. Her hands shook as she dried them and she tried to climb into bed, telling herself she needed sleep. The Victory Tour was just a week away and she didn't want to worry anyone with her nightmares, mainly her mother and Prim. As she snuggled back into the covers, images from the dream resurfaced, making her heart pound and her hands to sweat. No way she was going back to sleep-not like this. She knew what she needed but she knew it was wrong.

With an exasperated sigh, Katniss threw the covers off of her and searched in the dark for her jacket and shoes. She quietly left her house and scampered across the snow to Peeta's house just three doors down. She pushed open his front door, knowing he wouldn't mind her coming in. Thankfully his family didn't live with him. They decided to stay in the bakery, not willing to leave it unattended while they slept. Katniss didn't she why they were that way, but she was grateful they weren't here.

She took the well known path to Peeta's bedroom and softly pushed the door open. Peeta was stretched out on the bed, his lamp on as he sketched in his book. His back was to her so he didn't see her enter. She knew he'd be up at this time. Peeta was sort of an insomniac now. Either that or he had a nightmare as well and he was drawing it out. He did that a lot, too.

"Peeta," Katniss whispered, stepping into his room. He started and turned his head.

"Oh," he said with a sigh, "Katniss. Is everything okay?"

Katniss took a deep breath and moved forward to sit on the bed with him. She swore she would stop using Peeta to fix her, but she seemed addicted. She could find no other forms of comfort that worked as well as he did. He sighed again, closing the book and setting it on his nightstand along with the pencil.

"Last time," she promised quickly, noticing his look was a little exasperated.

"You said that last time," Peeta replied, but he reached out anyways, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her toward him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as he leaned forward to kiss her. He paused, searching her face before gently brushing her loose away from her face. She closed her eyes at the contact and heard him sigh again.

"It's okay," he replied softly, capturing her face in his hands and kissing her. Katniss melted into the kiss, pushing away the nightmare and strictly focusing on Peeta's hands and mouth and the feeling of his chest underneath her fingers, his heartbeat calm and steady.

This definitely wasn't the first time this has happened. It's happened multiple times, actually, since the Hunger Games ended. Katniss felt guilty with each time but it calmed her, strange enough.

"We shouldn't do this," she said as Peeta pulled his shirt over his head.

"You also said that last time."

"I don't want-" she started, knowing the words she meant to say. She wanted to tell him she didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to give him false hope because she doesn't feel the same way he does, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"For comfort," he said, repeating the same thing she said to him to first time. Well, she technically asked, but same thing.

"Okay," she breathed.

As she shrugged her jacket off and reached for her own shirt, she silently wondered if Peeta needed the comfort as well. She always assumed he did it maybe to be closer to her or something like that, but maybe she was wrong.

* * *

Katniss couldn't breathe. It felt as though she fell one hundred feet and landed squarely on her back, knocking every wisp of air from her lungs. She struggled to find the part of her that controlled her diaphragm, trying to force herself to _breathe_ or _do something_, but she was frozen in her seat by the fire. Prim sat next to her looking equally startled.

"What?" Katniss managed to gasp as her brain began to function normally and her breathing continued.

"I said, you're pregnant, Katniss," her mother responded, her expression stern yet you could definitely tell she was not expecting to say those words. Not now, anyways. Not at this moment where every single person in the entire country was in danger.

"_What?_"

"Don't make me repeat again!" her mother snapped, shaking her head. "I can't believe….I'm so shocked. Who's the father? Is it Gale?"

"No!" Katniss said quickly. Just the thought of Gale knowing her being…pregnant made her suddenly scared. Oh God, Gale. What was he even going to say? He definitely didn't know about her and Peeta's…nightly visits.

"Peeta?" her mother asked. She noticed Katniss blushing furiously and her lips parted.

"Do you love him?" Prim asked from her side, looking up at her.

"No!" Katniss said again. "No, no, this is all…an accident. I don't…." she trailed off, dropping her eyes and refusing to meet either of theirs.

"It's okay, Katniss. It's going to be okay," Prim said gently, taking her sister's hand.

"No, it won't," Katniss whispered.

She thought she merely had the flu. There had been something going around at school and just assumed she caught it. Her mother, though Katniss wasn't entirely sure how, checked her for a lot of things she was sure she didn't have. But a baby? That didn't even cross her mind.

How is she going to tell Peeta? She could get rid of it of course, but she wasn't entirely comfortable with that. Not comfortable at all, to be honest. But she told herself multiple, multiple times she wasn't going to have kids. Her name may be taken out of the pool of names for the Games but her child's would definitely not be skipped over. In fact, it would be quite a show it two victor's child was picked. The Capitol would go crazy over it.

She had to tell Peeta. As much as she hated to admit it, she was not the best at plans. That's what Peeta and Haymitch were for. They were brains of the team while Katniss was simply a symbol. She had to tell him. He'd know what to do.

"I have to go," Katniss said quickly. Prim pulled her hand away and she rushed by her mother to the front door. "I…I'll be back in a little while."

And she shut the door behind her.

* * *

Hello :) just a short chapter, and i know this has been used a lot, Katniss being actually pregnant in the Quater Quell, but I wanted to take it on and I hope I'll do well! Please review


	2. Chapter 2

Already wrote the second chapter and decided to update since you guys responded quickly c:

* * *

"You're...what?"

"I'm pregnant," Katniss repeated quickly, hating how they sounded. Reality hit her. She was pregnant. There was a human being inside of her at this very second. She felt as if though she were about to throw up. In fact...

She shot off of the bed and ran into Peeta's bathroom where she usually spent time examining all the love bites he left on her. Now, she was barfing into his toilet as the result of all those love bites. Oh how times have passed.

"Katniss, oh my God, you're pregnant," Peeta said as he sat down on the cold tiles floor next to her.

"Yes, thank you, Peeta. I wasn't quite sure," Katniss spat back before she leaned over the toilet and threw up again. She felt Peeta's hand against her back and she desperately wanted to push him away because her body responded before her mind told it not to.

"Oh, shit, Katniss, what are we going to do?" he asked as she rinsed out her mouth. She glanced up in the mirror and saw how panicked he was. Katniss straightened and stared at him.

"I don't know! You're supposed to know. You know how to fix everything."

"Not everything," he mumbled. He sighed, running his hand down his face.

"I thought...I mean we used protection. Every single time."

"It doesn't always work, Katniss. The safest way to not get pregnant is to not have sex. At all."

"Well, we didn't exactly take that route, did we?"

She moved back into the bedroom and sat on Peeta's bed, dropping her head in her hands. She and Peeta were not safe. The Districts were revolting and Snow expected her to calm them down. He needed her to convince him. Well, maybe a baby would.

"Hey," she said, lifting her head. "Maybe this isn't all bad."

Peeta blinked. "What?"

Katniss pulled herself off the bed. "Snow told me to convince him, right?" she said, ignoring the fact that the entire house was bugged. Who cared? Snow must've known she'd tell Peeta about their conversation anyway. "Maybe being pregnant will. We can...we can get married soon before I start showing and...and it'll be fine. Everything will be okay."

Peeta nodded slightly, his eyes glazing over as his mind went to work. "You're on to something," he said. "I'll tell Haymitch."

"No, wait!" Katniss said quickly, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. "Not yet, okay? I need some time to adjust to this."

Peeta's eyes softened as he searched her face. "Okay. Just tell me when you want me to tell him."

Katniss swallowed hard, feeling a lump in her throat. She nodded. She would never adjust.

* * *

Katniss's cheek ached as she squeezed Gale's fingers, ignoring the bandages on his back. He surfaced from the pain briefly, letting out a pained moan.

"Shh," Katniss said, touching his cheek. His eyes opened at the sound of her voice and he smiled at her before he went back under.

Katniss woke up the next morning with her back sore and the pattern from the white table cloth imprinted on her cheek. Peeta was rousing her.

"Hey," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Peeta nodded and Katniss pretended to not notice the sad look in his eyes.

* * *

As soon as the Peacekeepers left, Katniss collapsed in the chair, ignoring her protesting tailbone.

"Are you okay? What happened?" her mother asked quickly, squatting down and sliding Katniss's boot off.

"Yeah, I just...slipped on ice."

Peeta touched her shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed. His eyes glanced down to her abdomen in a silent question. She nodded slightly, telling him she was fine. His shoulders relaxed and she saw him swallow. Haymitch noticed the exchange and raised an eyebrow, but they both ignored him. Instead they listened to Katniss's mother tell them she had a broken heel and a bruised tailbone.

Peeta carries her up to her room after her mother wraps up her foot and gives her pain medication. Peeta plants a kiss on her forehead as he tucks her into bed. She catches his hand as he turns to leave.

"Stay with me," she whispers as the room begins to slowly fade away. He whispers something in reply but she's already gone.

* * *

It was like being told she was pregnant all over again except that it was a thousand times worse. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak, she couldn't move. Her diaphragm wasn't listening this time because they were going back in.

Katniss and Peeta were going back into the arena.

Katniss fled the house before her mother or sister could say anything. She didn't want to hear them. She wanted to be by herself.

She wasn't sure how she got in the basement of one of the empty houses in Victor Village, but she was there, curled up on the floor with her hands curled into fists.

She was going to die.

Haymitch had to bring back one of them and it had to be Peeta. She didn't care if she was pregnant; Peeta could have children with someone else. Haymitch chose her the first time and now it was Peeta's turn.

Now she knew what she and Peeta did was a mistake. The baby was a mistake. When she dies, it will be two lives taken. She should have never ran to Peeta with her night terrors. She should have never convinced him to sleep with her. It was all her fault.

Katniss had to tell Haymitch. She had to get there before Peeta could. No way was Haymitch going to pick her again. No possible way.

It took Katniss a few minutes before she found her way out of the house. She noticed a broken window and assumed that's how she came in.

Peeta's bedroom light was still on so Katniss rushed over to Haymitch's house and barged.

She could smell the liquor before she even saw the bottle.

"So, you finally heard?" he asked her, his words slightly slurred. "Are you here to tell me to protect Peeta?"

Katniss desperately wanted to tell him that she only came for a drink but she knew drinking was not something smart to do while pregnant. So instead of grabbing the bottle and chugging it like she knew she should, she simply nodded.

"Please," she whispered. "Tell him you'll help me, I don't care, but you have to get him out. Please, Haymitch."

The words rushed out of her mouth before she could stop them. Haymitch looked at her sadly before he slowly nodded.

"All right. Okay, I will."

Katniss was flooded with relief and she felt strange. Peeta was coming back. Maybe without her but he was coming back and it was definitely better than nothing.

* * *

I know it's kind of fast but I just wanted to go ahead and skip all that you already know and get to the arena quickly. I'll more than likely continue this into Mockingjay. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

c:

* * *

Peeta had them train like Careers. Katniss did it with them at first, but as soon as she started throwing up again, Peeta made her stop. When Haymitch demanded to be told what was happening with her, Peeta told him. Before Haymitch could throw a fit, Peeta quickly explained what Katniss had said. With a baby, they could convince Snow. Peeta was so good with his words that Haymitch was nodding halfway through.

Katniss, on the other hand, was curled up in bed, waves of nausea crashing over her. So far, she didn't like being pregnant at all. The only thing it seemed to be was a burden. Katniss had noticed the area around her hips was getting just a tad bit thicker but there was nothing else to suggest she was pregnant. Her mother estimated she was about twelve weeks along. The 75th annual Hunger Games were in a month. She'd be in her second trimester by then. Katniss didn't want to think about it. Every time she did her heart would beat erratically and her breath would catch.

Someone knocked on the door, increasing the pounding in her head. She quickly pulled the pillow over her ears to somewhat silence the intrusion before telling them to come in. She heard his heavy footfalls and immediately knew it was Peeta. He checked on her regularly and every single time he looked worried.

Katniss removed the pillow from over her head and glanced at him, his blond hair matted to his forehead with sweat, his face flushed from exercising. It only made Katniss feel worse because she didn't want to be out of shape when the Games began. If she can't even run a mile, she'll be dead. She frowned at him as he stood in front of her. Even through the sweat she could smell the slight cinnamon and dill he always smelled like from baking bread. Her nose had become that of a dog. She could smell cheese bread from a mile away.

"How are you doing?" Peeta asked, using the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Still sick?"

"Yes," Katniss answered, burying deeper into the covers because she was not comfortable with how much pleasure she received when her eyes landed on Peeta's toned stomach. They were working quite hard.

"I'm sorry," he said gently, studying her curiously. She really hoped he couldn't see how flushed she was.

_Pull yourself together, Katniss, _she scolded herself. She couldn't quite help it thought. She guess those times her and Peeta were getting as physically close as possible, her mind had developed things she didn't notice. She wanted those things to go away.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's both of ours," Katniss replied quickly, tucking the covers under her chin. Peeta smiled.

"Yes, that's true. The Reaping's in a few weeks. Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

Katniss scowled at him. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No, not really."

"Then I'll be there," she said with a bit of sting in her words. They weren't directed at him, of course, but at the Capitol.

Peeta sighed, thinking about how not exactly endearing her waspish personality was. But he was used to it by now. He simply leaned over to kiss her forehead like he always did. It was about as physically close as she would let him get and he took it every opportunity he had. They never spoke about her sneaking into his house at night, and Peeta knew well enough not to try that in the daytime, or at all. Not unless she asked. He knew she was using him, but she needed to be comforted. He was more than happy to chase away her nightmares with kisses and it was even better that she actually let him.

He could remember the first night very clearly.

It was around November, just a few months after the Games, when Katniss burst into Peeta's room racked with sobs. He quickly pulled her in his arms, tucking her head underneath his chin and letting her cry it out without a word. He knew what it was. He went though it every night as well, but he painted out his feelings. Katniss always ran to him. He didn't mind though. It was better than her not speaking to him at all. He was, of course, still hurt about her pretending everything for the cameras when he thought she actually loved him. But survival of the fittest, right?

"It's okay, Katniss," Peeta whispered to her, pulling her tighter against his chest.

Eventually, her cries slowly became quieter until she stopped completely. When she pulled away she studied Peeta carefully with her grey eyes. They weren't angry, but slightly scared. She slowly reached her hand up until it brushed against his cheek and Peeta had to try so hard not to lean in to the touch. Then, as though Peeta were in a dream, Katniss slowly lifted her head until her lips were pressed against his. His heart was thudding painfully and he resisted the urge to take big gulps of air. They hadn't kissed since they left the Capitol.

When Katniss pulled away she looked completely embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, scrambling to get out of his arms. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

Peeta automatically reached out, his fingers gently wrapping around her wrist. "No, please don't go," he pleaded. He himself had a pretty terrible nightmare before she ran into his room. "It's fine, Katniss. It's okay."

"No, no, it's not. I don't…I don't want to mess with your feelings, okay? I don't feel the same-"

"Shh," Peeta said quietly, effectively ending Katniss's rambling. "I know. It's okay. I know."

He could tell she was trying to be strong despite how terrible she was feeling about everything.

"Come here."

"Just once," Katniss whispered, her lips slightly parted, her feet still planted firmly on the ground. "Just once, Peeta, okay? To…to comfort me?"

He nodded and held his arms out, waiting. She took a deep breath before she crawled back into his lap and kissed him again. He could feel something. It was definitely different than all the kisses they did for the cameras. It was slow and soft and needy. It made his chest tighten and his breath catch.

To say the least, it didn't happen just once. Peeta's room was disturbed constantly, mostly at night, but sometimes even in the middle of the day, just when he got home from an early shift at the bakery. He knew it was because she was simply having a hard time with everything and he didn't have a problem with her using him. He could swear that every time they did it, there was something in her eyes, something about the way she said his name that told him more than her words ever would.

"Peeta?"

Peeta blinked hard and the memory slipped away. He had been staring at Katniss who now had a slow blush creeping across her cheeks. He wondered if she was thinking about the same things.

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I'll go," he said quickly. "I'll see later. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Katniss replied though he knew she was doing it to ease his mind. Katniss was very independent and usually did everything by herself.

Peeta left the house and stepped out into the damp grass. Summer was here and Peeta hated it. He loved  
winter where he could warm up in the bakery by the ovens and him and his family could afford to eat warm, freshly baked rolls that tasted best when it was cold outside. He loved when Katniss would sneak into his house and he could snuggle up against Katniss's warm body whereas it was too hot in the summertime to do that.

Yes, Peeta loved winter. If he would have known he would die in two weeks time, he would have made sure to enjoy it more. He would have absolutely made sure to enjoy Katniss more as well.

* * *

Sorry for any mistakes, I'm too lazy to read over it.

Thank you for reading! Please review! I really appreciate your honest opinion c:


	4. Chapter 4

Right okay, so now the story will be as close to the book as I can get it which includes direct quotes and paragraphs from the book c: So thanks Suzanne Collins for writing like half of this! Enjoy please and ignore any mistakes

* * *

The day of the reaping's hot and sultry. The population of District 12 waits, sweating and silent, in the square with machine guns trained on them. Katniss stands alone in a small roped-off area with Peeta and Haymitch in a similar pen to the right of her. The reaping takes only a minute. Effie, shining in a wig of metallic gold, lacks her usual verve. She has to claw around the girls' reaping ball for quite a while to snag the one piece of paper that everyone already knows has Katniss's name on it. Then she catches Haymitch's name. He barely has time to shoot Katniss an unhappy look before Peeta volunteers to take his place.

Katniss and Peeta are ushered into the Justice building with the hopes to say their last goodbyes, but they're only met with Thread, head Peacekeeper.

"New procedure," he says with a nasty smile.

They're marched out the back door, into a car, and taken to the train station. Katniss begins to panic. This wasn't fair. She had to say goodbye to everyone. Peeta takes her hand, sensing her discomfort. She wants to push him away, jump out of the car and hug her sister one last time, tell her how much she loved her.

Effie and Haymitch appear, escorted by guards and they're all shoved onto the train. The wheels began to move seconds after their feet pass over the threshold.

Katniss stares out of the window, not saying a word, her eyes wide. She savors the last bit of District 12 as the woods overtake the view. With her hormones raging from pregnancy, it takes everything she has not to have a meltdown in the middle of the train. She wasn't going to see Gale or her mother or Madge or Prim ever again. She wanted to punch something, to scream and cry, but she only remained silent as though her lips were glued together.

"We'll write letters, Katniss," Peeta says gently. She wondered if he was feeling the same way. If he was resisting the urge to have a mental breakdown. "It will be better, anyway. Give them a piece of us to hold on to. Haymitch will deliver them for us if…they needed to be delivered."

Only hers would. If she wrote any. She knew she wouldn't. She was terrible at transferring her thoughts to paper and she didn't want her loved ones to think she was illiterate.

Katniss went straight to her room, burying her face in her pillow and hoping she could suffocate herself. Effie knocks on her door to call her to dinner but she doesn't want to eat. Her appetite has completely disappeared over the past week. Certain things made her sick while others just didn't appeal to her. Her mother told her she would have a huge appetite but there was nothing. She went to dinner anyway, not wanting the whole group to come after her.

The meal was quiet. There was no light chatter or even any arguing between Effie and Haymitch like usual. Peeta compliments Effie on her gold wig and she tells him she wanted it to match Katniss's pin and how she thought they could look like a team.

Peeta notices Katniss's empty plate and frowns slightly, but he doesn't point it out. The smell from the chicken Effie is eating makes its way to Katniss's nose and she has to try very hard not to throw up. By the time the dessert is served, Katniss is feeling nauseous.

"Shall we watch the recap of the reapings?" asks Effie after everyone finishes their custard.

Katniss is the first to stand. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to bed."

She ignores the curious and somewhat pity look she receives from Effie and goes to her room. She leans over the toilet for a while, sure something's going to come up, but nothing ever does and she's left wondering if she was even nauseous or if she wanted an excuse to go to her room.

Katniss wakes up screaming hours later, her nightmares filled with faceless tributes hacking away at her. Not able to stay in her compartment, she ventures out into the hallway, wrapping her arms against herself in an attempt to chase away the images still in her head. She faintly hears the television on and follows the sound to find Peeta on the couch watching old Games. She kind of recognizes the one where Brutus becomes victor flashing on the screen.

Peeta notices her and he rises and flips off the television. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Not for long," she says, squeezing her arms tighter around herself. She clears her throat as she remembers what usually happens after she comes to Peeta with her nightmares. But that was obviously over.

"Want to talk about it?" he asks.

She shakes her head and Peeta's arms immediately go up. Katniss moves into them quickly, accepting the affection greatly. She was so needy. Peeta buries his face into her hair and his breath fans out against her neck. She doesn't want to let go of him.

A Capitol attendant arrives, causing them to break apart. He sets a tray with a jug and two cups on a table. "I brought some warm milk," he says, glancing at them. "And I added some honey and just a pinch of spice."

Katniss blinks in surprise. "Oh," she says, "thank you."

He gives a slight nod, and his mouth opens like he wants to say more but he simply shakes his head and leaves the room.

"What was that about?" Katniss asks.

"I think he feels bad for us," Peeta replies.

"Right," she says sarcastically as she pours the milk into the two cups.

"I mean it. I don't think the people in the Capitol are going to be all that happy about our going back in. Or the other victors. They get attached to their champions."

Katniss ignores Peeta and instead gestures to the blank screen. "You're watching the tapes again?" she asks.

"Just checking out their fighting techniques."

"Who's next?"

Peeta grabs his cup of milk and settles himself on the couch. He lifts the box of tapes into his lap and shuffles around before shrugging. "You pick." He hands out the box.

Katniss ends up picking Haymitch's tape since he's never told them about how he won. She sits next to Peeta and snuggles up to his side, resting her cheek against his shoulder. They both take interest in the force field Haymitch uses to win.

"That force field at the bottom of the cliff, it was like the one on the roof of the Training Center. The one that throws you back if you try to jump off and commit suicide. Haymitch found a way to turn it into a weapon."

"It's almost as bad as us with the berries," Katniss says, laughing slightly. Peeta shakes his head a little as though she's lost her mind.

"Almost, but not quite."

They whip around and Haymitch is standing behind them, sipping on a bottle of wine. Peeta glances between the two until he stands up and gestures towards to door. "I'll walk you to your room," he says to Katniss. She nods and follows him, avoiding Haymitch's amused eyes.

Peeta stops Katniss outside her door and leans against the frame. His hand reaches out almost tentatively, but it stops in the space between them. She knows what he wants to do and she shifts her weight from foot to foot, waiting. He bites his lip and drops his hand back by his side.

"How are you?" he asks. Katniss rolls her eyes and slides her fingers around his wrist. She pulls his hand against her stomach where there is a pretty noticeable curve. You'd have to be blind or stupid to not see it now, yet no one asked about it. Not even Effie who was pretty nosy. She was nearly 17 weeks pregnant. Almost halfway there. Peeta smiled slightly and it felt as though he had punched her in chest. She knew he wanted kids. And here she is, pregnant with his baby, but he was never going to see it because Katniss wasn't going to make it out of the arena. She knew he was thinking the same but reversed. If she had to get pregnant, she wouldv'e done it earlier so Peeta could keep the baby. But the odds were never in her favor.

Peeta rubbed her stomach slightly before he pulled his hand away and straightened. "You should get some sleep."

Faceless tributes with weapons and blood smeared on their clothes popped into her mind and she realized she didn't want to go to sleep by herself. "Will you…?" she trailed off hopefully, tipping her head toward her door.

He gave a sad smile. "Of course."

As Katniss snuggled up to Peeta's solid, warm body, she thought of how lonely she would be without him and knew what her and Haymitch planned was the right thing to do.

* * *

Please review! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay so I changed something: Katniss is now 17 weeks pregnant.

* * *

Katniss fidgets uncomfortably in her skin tight outfit as she strokes the neck of the horse that is going to pull the District 12 chariot. Luckily for her, the outfit Cinna had prepared for the parade through the city was actually quite stretchy, so it fit over her swollen belly well. Unluckily for her, it was so tight it made her stomach even more noticeable. Her prep team and Cinna had all trained their eyes on her abdomen longer than normal, so she knew they either thought she was fat or pregnant. It made her completely nervous.

She almost told Cinna that she was pregnant but she wasn't exactly sure how that would come back later so she kept her mouth shut. He'd need to know soon though so when he gets her dress for the interview it won't be too small. Pressing her free hand against her stomach, she continued to gently stroke the horse, not wanting to make conversation with the other tributes who were chatting happily to each other.

"Hello, Katniss," someone says, startling Katniss just a little. She turns to find Finnick Odair, the tribute from District 4, munching on sugar cubes.

"Hello, Finnick," she replies casually, trying her hardest to not look uncomfortable with how close he was and how much tan skin was exposed.

"Want a sugar cube?" he offers, holding up his hand that was piled with neat little cubes of sugar.

"No, thanks," she says quickly, glancing at his outfit of a net knotted in places around his waist to hide his goodies. "I'd love to borrow your outfit sometime, though."

"You're absolutely terrifying me in that getup," he replies, his green eyes flickering over her. She fidgets again, hoping he won't look hard enough to see the bump. Not that he had to look hard. "What happened to those pretty little-girl dresses?"

"I outgrew them."

Finnick tries to make Katniss more uncomfortable than she already was and he achieves it. He whispers to her that people pay him for his company. Not with money, but with secrets. Once he notices Peeta's arrival, he says something about how he was sorry she had to cancel her wedding and how devastating it must be for her. She can tell he knows that the love she has for Peeta on camera isn't true and she feels slightly annoyed that he has to throw remarks to her about it.

"What did Finnick Odair want?" Peeta asked as he stood next to Katniss.

She mimics Finnick's position, lips close to Peeta's, eyelids dropped, and a seductive tone. "He offered me sugar and wanted to know all my secrets."

Peeta laughs and he glances around the room full of victors. "Do you think we'd have ended up like this if only one of us had won? Just another part of the freak show?"

"Sure," Katniss answers, her grey eyes following his. "Especially you."

"Oh. And why especially me?" he asks, his eyes flickering over her face with a smile curving his lips.

"Because you have a weakness for beautiful things and I don't," she says simply, shrugging. "They would lure you into their Capitol ways and you'd be lost entirely."

"Having an eye for beauty isn't the same thing as a weakness," he points out. "Except possibly when it comes to you."

Katniss's heart thuds painfully at his words and she tries to hide it with a scowl. Off in the distance, music is beginning to play and the wide doors open.

"Shall we?"

She takes Peeta's outstretched hand and climbs into the chariot, secretly terrified of how little time she has left with the boy with bread.

* * *

Katniss dresses slowly in her clothes for training, thoroughly annoyed and upset with everything-Darius being their Avox, Peeta and the other victors teasing her because she was "pure" and being in this stupid position in the first place. She wishes Peeta would have just killed her last year and everything would be fine.

At breakfast, Haymitch tells them to stay in love and make friends. Katniss doesn't want to. Making friends last year did nothing except cause pain for her. She didn't want to get close to these murderous people who would most likely turn on her in the middle of the night. No. No way.

But he and Peeta both convince her and they agree to let her choose, which is good. The last thing she wanted was for Haymitch to pick her new friends.

In the training center, the couple splits up to cover more ground. Towards the end, Katniss pairs up with the two tributes from District 3, Wiress and Beetee. Wiress drops off at odd points in the conversation but Beetee seems to know exactly what she's saying and continues her sentences as if there is no interruption. They explain the force field around the Gamemakers, showing her how to tell when there's a chink in it.

At lunch, all the tables are moved together and Peeta near drags Katniss to eat lunch with him and Chaff. Chaff kissed her the other night, straight on the mouth, and she had not quite forgiven him for that yet.

Back into training, Katniss has so much enjoyment from shooting the bow and arrow that she doesn't notice the silence until she can hear every fake bird she pierced with arrows hit the ground. Haymitch tells her after her little show that at least half the victors requested her as an ally. But she only wants Mags, the old woman from District 4 who volunteered for a hysterical young woman, and Wiress and Beetee.

For the next two days, Katniss feels as though she's accepted into the victors' circle. She spends time with each victor in different station, even with Finnick who trades an hour of trident lessons with an hour of archery. She feels she's getting too attached to these people. They were all going to have to die for Peeta to get home safely and she didn't like the idea of that the more time she spent with them.

Katniss and Peeta both pull a twelve from the Gamemakers, and Haymitch is so angry he sends them to bed because he can't stand to look at either of them.

Peeta walks Katniss to her room in silence. She turns to face him and tip her chin up.

"So how do you want to spend our last few days?" she asks, already knowing the answer.

"I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you," he replies.

Katniss reaches for his hand, intertwining their fingers, and enjoying how warm his hands are against her cold, clammy ones. The twelve from training kept flashing in her mind and she knew in just a few days they both were going to be targeted. But instead of voicing her thoughts, she instead says, "Come on, then."

As soon as Katniss lies down, Peeta catches her in his arms and pulls her against him. Something stops him short though because Katniss's belly is pressed hard against his and they can't move any closer. His eyes drop to look.

"You're getting big," he says.

Katniss sighs. "I know, I'm huge. People are going to know before you even tell them. Everyone probably already knows, they just don't want to say anything. Maybe they just think now that I have money I can eat so I got fat?"

"Maybe," Peeta murmurs.

"Do I look pregnant?" she asks desperately.

He studies her with his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. "Just a tad."

Katniss groans and buries her face in Peeta's neck, pressing her lips against his heartbeat.

"Katniss."

She lifts her head and finds Peeta's eyes trained on her with a certain intensity she's seen many times before. They _were _planning on spending every minute together. But Peeta blinked, realizing what look he was giving her, and he leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes. "Good night."

"Wait," Katniss said quickly, panicking slightly. It wasn't her turn to be comforted, but his. He needed this, and she was going to give it to him. She reached out, taking his chin just as his eyes opened, and she kissed him. He broke away quickly, searching her face.

"Katniss-"

"No," she said harshly. "No, Peeta, okay? Just…just let me do this."

He simply stared at her before he nodded and she was kissing him again, running her fingers through his hair. She pulls away from the kiss and Peeta sits up, tugging her into his lap. Her fingers run down his shirt before she begins to unbutton it, sliding it off of his shoulders. He quickly pulls her shirt off and kisses across her collarbones.

"Last time," he murmurs against her skin. Katniss's fingers slip across his back, accidentally raking her nails across his skin as she realizes it was really the last time. She said that to him all the time, but it was always a lie, both of them knowing she'd be running back the next night. But this time it was official. She ignored the dull pain in her chest and instead focused on Peeta's lips trailing across her belly. He pauses for a moment, pressing his cheek right next to her belly button.

"I love you," he whispers. She doesn't have time to ask or even think if he's talking to her or the baby before he's moving back up to kiss her and, for the moment, the words are lost.

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	6. Chapter 6

Katniss is woken by a ray of sunlight that is directed straight into her eyes. She stirs, momentarily forgetting where she is. As her fingers brush against the soft fabric of the sheets, she remembers she's in the Training Center. Peeta is curled against her, his arm draped over her waist and his cheek pressed against her shoulder. Even in his sleep she can see the dark circles underneath his eyes, truthfully showing how much sleep he's really been getting.

Feeling pressure against her bladder, Katniss begins to gently sit up, but Peeta's arms tighten around her and he pulls her back.

"I have to pee," she says to him as he snuggles into her neck. He sighs heavily and releases her. She makes a dash for the bathroom. While washing her hands, she hears the bedroom door open and shut and she freezes. Why is Peeta leaving? It's not even breakfast time.

But when she opens the bathroom door, Peeta is still in bed. In his hands is a small piece of paper, a note.

"Who was that?" Katniss asks, crawling back into her position on the bed.

"The red headed Avox. It seems Effie and Haymitch think we don't need our lessons today. We have a free day," Peeta says, handing over the slip of paper he was holding.

"Oh, goody. Now I don't have to sit through four hours of Haymitch telling me I'm moody and hostile and have the charm of a slug."

Peeta grins at her and pulls the covers up around his shoulders, burying himself in the white, fluffy covers.

"I wonder what angle we're taking this year," Katniss continues, picking a loose feather from the blankets.

Peeta's hand finds her belly. "Probably the pregnant one."

"Oh." She forgot she couldn't keep her pregnancy to herself. Everything she did had to be publicized, and if the fact that a pregnant seventeen year old girl was being thrown into the arena enticed a rebellion, then so be it. It's what everyone else wanted. Fire being added to the flame.

"No nightmares," Peeta says, his hand still pressed against her. She realizes he was right; she slept quite peacefully with him by her side, as always.

"No, I guess not. What about you?"

He shakes his head. "Nope."

"How would you like to spend the day?"

"With you. Are you hungry?"

Katniss's appetite had fully returned. In fact, it seemed to triple. She was eating anything placed within reaching distance. It was a good thing because she needed to gain weight so that if they couldn't find food the first couple of days, she wouldn't disintegrate. Plus, it was good for the baby, too.

They order a bunch of food, grab a blanket, and head to the roof where she told him about the redheaded Avox. Peeta spreads out the blanket and sits, motioning for Katniss to do the same. She finds her seat in between his legs and rests her back against his chest. They don't talk for a while; they just enjoy each other's company. Peeta unbraids Katniss's messy braid from yesterday and tries to braid it back, but he has no idea how to.

The food arrives, brought in by Darius and the redheaded girl. Katniss locks eyes with Darius as he sets a basket on the edge of the blanket. She tries to tell how sorry she is through her eyes. She's not sure if he understands, but he nods very slightly and the pair disappears.

Peeta's hands slide down her shoulders and when she looks at him, she can tell he's still upset about it too. He opens up the baskets and the smell of all different kinds of food makes its way towards Katniss. It takes all of her will power to not inhale every single bit of it. Her favorites are the rolls and she eats seven of them before she realizes Peeta hasn't even had one. She holds one out sheepishly and he laughs.

"Hungry?" he asks, and Katniss grins.

"Not really, no."

When their bellies are full, Katniss stretches out and lays her head in Peeta's lap. She reaches out and plucks a few flowers from around them, tying them into a crown. She places it on Peeta's head and laughs when he strikes a very feminine pose.

No one calls them for dinner and they're grateful. Neither of them needs to see anyone crying or upset. At sunset, Katniss sits up again and Peeta pulls her against him, wrapping his arms around her.

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever," he says.

"Okay," she whispers in reply.

"Then you'll allow it?"

"I'll allow it."

By the time the stars and moon are shining, Katniss is trying hard to keep her eyes open. Peeta is still playing with her hair and her stomach is full. She didn't even know she fell asleep until he rouses her and asks her if she wants to go back to her room. He takes her hand and she follows him, clutching the blanket in her free hand. She falls asleep as soon as her head is placed on Peeta's chest.

The next morning, they're woken up by the arrival of Katniss's prep team. The sight of them curled up together is too much for Octavia, and she bursts into tears. She has to leave the room after Venia reminds her what Cinna told them.

"I'll see you later," Peeta says, and he quickly kisses Katniss before leaving the room.

Flavius is the next to leave with silent tears running down his face. Venia is left to finish Katniss, her skin pale and her lips pressed tight together. It's only when Cinna shows up to approve me and dismiss her that she takes my hands, looks me straight in the eye, and says, "We would all live you to know what a…privilege it has been to make you look your best." And she hastens from the room.

Cinna unzips the bag containing Katniss's dress for the night and she notices the pearls and long sleeves.

"My…wedding dress?"

"President Snow put in the dress order himself," Cinna says, somewhat bitterly. "Our objections were ignored."

Katniss's first thought is that she's not going to fit into it. She's gained quite a bit of weight since she first tried it on. She should've told Cinna sooner so he could adjust the dress, but it was a bit too late now.

"Cinna, I'm pregnant," she blurted. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit into the dress."

She waits for the surprise or shock or maybe even disappointment, but Cinna just blinks at her. "Oh, I know. Haymitch told me. I already made the adjustments."

Katniss is the one surprised. "Oh," she says.

"Besides, we all saw the bump. I assumed before he told me. Here."

Cinna helps Katniss into the dress and it fits nicely, even showing off her stomach a little. Though it seems weigh about a ton more than the first time. She shrugs it off though, assuming it was a part of the adjustments. Cinna fixes her makeup, puts on her shoes and veil and has her walk for him.

"You're ravishing," he says. "Now, Katniss, because this bodice is so fitted, I don't want you raising your arms above your head. Well, not until you twirl, anyway."

"Will I be twirling again?" Katniss asks, thinking of her dress last year.

"I'm sure Caesar will ask you. And if he doesn't, you suggest it yourself. Only not right away. Save it for your big finale," Cinna instructs her.

"You give me a signal so I know when."

"All right. Any plans for your interview? I know Haymitch left you two to your own devices," he says.

Katniss knows Peeta will be telling everyone that she's pregnant, but she doesn't tell Cinna that. Instead, she says, "No, this year I'm just winging it. The funny thing is, I'm not nervous at all."

They meet up with Effie, Haymitch, Portia, and Peeta at the elevator. Peeta's in a fancy tuxedo and white gloves, the sort of thing grooms wear to weddings in the Capitol.

The other tributes are already gathered offstage, chatting softly, but when Katniss and Peeta arrive, they all fall silent. They're all staring daggers at her wedding dress.

"I can't believe Cinna put you in that thing," Finnick finally says.

"He didn't have any choice. President Snow made him," Katniss says defensively.

Cashmere, the victor from District 1, spits, "Well, you look ridiculous!" And grabs her brother to line up. The other tributes follow her lead, getting themselves in order for the interviews. Johanna Mason stops to straighten Katniss's pearls.

"Make him pay for it, okay?" she says.

Cashmere starts the ball rolling with a speech about how she just can't stop crying when she thinks of how much the people in the Capitol must be suffering because they will lose us. Gloss recalls the kindness shown here to him and his sister. Beetee questions the legality of the Quell in his nervous, twitchy way, wondering if it's been fully examined by the experts of late. Finnick recites a poem he wrote to his one true love in the Capitol, and about a hundred people faint because they're sure he means them. By the time Johanna Mason gets up, she's asking if something can't be done about the situation. Surely the creators of the Quarter Quell never anticipated such a love forming between the victors and the Capitol. No one could be so cruel as to sever such a deep bond. Seeder quietly ruminates about how, back at District 11, everyone assumes President Snow is all-powerful. So if he's all-powerful, why doesn't he change the Quell? And Chaff, who comes right on her heels, insists the president could change the Quell if he wanted to, but he must not think it matters much to anyone.

By the time Katniss is introduced, the audience is a wreck. The sight of her in her white silk bridal gown practically causes a riot.

"So, Katniss, obviously this is a very emotional night for everyone. Is there anything you'd like to say?" Caesar finally gets out.

"Only that I'm so sorry you won't be at my wedding…but I'm glad you at least get to see me in my dress. Isn't it just…the most beautiful thing?" She doesn't have to look at Cinna to know that this is the time to twirl. She begins to spin slowly, raising her arms.

She can smell smoke and the gasps and screams from the crowds and she's paralyzed, but still spinning. She knows Cinna is behind whatever is happening to her dress so she doesn't stop until the fire disappears completely. Katniss stops twirling, momentarily wondering if she's going to throw up, but then she notices her dress and everything else leaves her mind.

The dress is the exact design of her wedding dress, only it's the color of coal and made of tiny feathers.

She tentatively lifts her arms, and that's when she catches herself on the television screen.

Cinna has turned her into a mockingjay.

"You're like a bird," Caesar says, touching her now black headpiece.

"A mockingjay, I think," she says. "It's the bird on the pin I wear as a token."

The buzzer goes off, but not before Caesar tells Cinna to rise and the audience explodes into applause. Katniss passes Peeta on his way to his interview. She takes her seat and turns her attention to him.

After the initial joking between to two, Caesar starts asking serious questions. Before long, Peeta is explaining the small wedding ceremony they have in District 12, just like Katniss told him to do when she found out she was pregnant.

"I'm not glad," Peeta says after the explanation. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."

This takes Caesar by surprise. "Surely even a brief time is better than no time?"

"Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar," says Peeta bitterly, and Katniss knows this is when he's going to announce it. "If it weren't for the baby."

It takes a moment for the crowd to realize what he's said, for the news to sink in, and then they're all crying out, making quite a lot of noise. The buzzer goes off, announcing the end to Peeta's interview, and he says his good-byes before taking his seat next to Katniss again. She takes his hand in hers, and then offers her other one to Chaff. It seems to start a trend because then all the victors are standing up and holding hands, the first public show of unity among the districts since the Dark Days. The people in control notice this and the screens go blank, but they were too slow.

Everyone has seen.

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	7. Chapter 7

Peeta swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Portia was seated next to him, both of them waiting for the time when he would have to stand on the circular metal plate and be lifted into the arena. A voice announces them to prepare for launch and Peeta stands stiffly, squaring his shoulders back. Portia nods solemnly, her lips pressed together.

"Good luck, Peeta," she says, offering him a smile. He smiles back.

"Thank you."

She leads him over to the metal plate and Peeta tucks his token, a golden locket he was hoping to use against Katniss to convince her to stay alive, into his jumpsuit securely. He steps up onto the launching plate and the glass cylinder encloses him. He squares his shoulders again simply because he could feel them dropping again, assuming the position he'd been holding for a month. Depression may or may not have settled in after the announcement of the Quarter Quell, but as soon as he thought of how he must protect Katniss, a sort of fierceness appeared and the depression would fade away if only for a while. But he had to ignore that while he was in the arena. He couldn't let the other tributes see how he has been affected by this. Not even Katniss could know.

The plate begins to rise, the wind catching Peeta's hair, and he only gets out one last wave before the glass is retreating and he's standing in open air. Before he even checks out the arena, his eyes scan quickly for Katniss, but he's only met with the other tributes. The Cornucopia was blocking his view of her and he briefly wondered if it was the Gamemaker's way to separate them, as if they were hoping someone would kill her off before they met in the middle. Then Peeta remembered his time was ticking away and he had to find out where he was fast.

Water. Water was everywhere. The tributes were planted in the middle of a giant lake with spokes of land reaching toward a circular island the Cornucopia was resting on. Peeta counts twelve spokes total with two tributes even spaced out between each one.

There was only one problem; Peeta couldn't swim. There were no lakes or rivers of oceans or even large bath tubs back in District 12, so there was no possible way he could have learned to swim. He feels panic rising slightly in his chest but he pushes it away just as the gong rings out, announcing that their sixty seconds is up and the Games have officially started.

To his right is Mags and when the gong rings, she does exactly what he does; she stands there. Peeta is unsure what to do. He thinks about the possibility of him just diving in and attempting to swim, but he could drown easily, having no familiarity with large bodies of water, and then he couldn't protect Katniss. So swimming is out. He doesn't even know if Katniss can even swim. If she can't, which he honestly doubts she can unless there's some hidden lake in the woods or something, then they're both dead. They made no allies, so no one can help them.

With these happy thoughts, Peeta catches sight of Katniss, the first one to reach Cornucopia, and he's thoroughly surprised. Then, just a few seconds later, Finnick is there as well, chatting to her as they scan over the piles of supplies. Katniss shoots an arrow at Brutus who is barreling towards them just as Mags jumps into the water and begins to paddle towards them. Peeta's feet stay planted firmly on the metal plate, still completely unsure what to do.

He watches as Katniss quickly looks out and spots him. She rushes over to the edge of land and begins to pull her knives she must've collected from the supplies out of her belt, but Finnick says something that stops her. She replies, but he says something again and pats her belly before diving into the water. He swims quickly over to Peeta and treads water right next to his plate.

"Hello," he says. He tips his head back towards Katniss who is still waiting, her bow loaded and aimed in case anyone decides to attack her. "We are allies."

Peeta automatically knows this isn't some ploy to kill them off. In fact, Haymitch himself had said, "Finnick's not to be ignored" when they were talking about allies, so Peeta lowers himself into the water and Finnick throws one arm across his chest and begins to tow him back, cutting easily through the water even with Peeta weighing him down.

They reach the island and Katniss quickly reaches out a hand to pull Peeta up. He kisses her quickly.

"Hello, again," he says, "we've got allies."

Finnick reaches into the water and pulls Mags out as though she weighs nothing more than a puppy. She says something that Peeta doesn't quite understand because of her age and her District accent, but he makes out one word, "bob", and pats her belt.

"Look, she's right. Someone figured it out," Finnick points to Beetee who's flailing around in the salt water but keeping afloat.

"What?" Katniss asks, confused.

"Flotation devices," Peeta supplies. He can see Katniss's internal struggle to bring Beetee and Wiress with them, but she decides against it, gives Peeta a bow, a sheath of arrows, and a knife, hands the awl to Mags who Finnick hoists onto his shoulder, and they begin the departure from the Cornucopia.

The sand shifts into the floor of the woods, but something seems different about them to Peeta. They're not like the woods from District 12. They're muggy and the trees seem almost rubbery. His mind supplies the word. Jungle. The arena is a jungle.

Peeta takes the lead, cutting through thick patches of vegetation with his long knife. They climb rapidly for maybe a mile or more when Finnick requests a rest. Peeta thinks it's more for Mags than anyone else.

Katniss volunteers to check out who all is dead and she scales a tree, taking her time to look out at the scene. Peeta knows that when she doesn't come down after just a couple of minutes that she's already plotting to kill their allies, to protect him. He knows her and her slightly terrible strategies to know exactly what she's thinking, and, it seems, so does Finnick. Just a few seconds before she climbs back down, he holds his trident in a casual yet defensive position. Peeta has to credit him for his knowledge of his allies, but he knows he would kill Finnick before he threw that trident at Katniss. But he also knows there would be no need to kill Finnick because he wasn't trying to kill Katniss; he was only going to defend himself if she attacked.

"What's going on down there, Katniss? Have they all joined hands? Taken a vow of nonviolence? Tossed the weapons in the sea in defiance of the Capitol?" Finnick asks when Katniss's feet hit the ground.

"No," she replies.

"No," he repeats, "Because whatever happened in the past is in the past. And no one in this arena was a victor by chance." His green eyes linger on Peeta for a moment before he says, "Except maybe Peeta."

Katniss's grey eyes, which remind Peeta of the sky when it storms, study Finnick, deciding if maybe she should make the first move. Peeta, taking no chance of having the pregnant love of his life or his new ally dead, steps between the two and asks Katniss how many are dead. She glares at him, telling him with her eyes to move, but he stands his ground firmly and waits for an answer.

"Hard to say. At least six, I think. And they're still fighting."

"Let's keep moving," Peeta says, coming to the conclusion that they need to walk to dispel the urge to kill each other. "We need water."

They start walking again, Peeta leading again and Katniss at the back. He wants her in the front with him. He wants to wrap his arms around her and tell her how much he loves her even if the words make her uncomfortable. But he doesn't. Instead, he slashes across some vines to get them out of the way and his knife hits something. The last thing Peeta remembers is a sharp zapping sound.

When he comes to again, he coughs, spots dancing in front of his eyes and his head spinning. He knows by the sound that it was a force field, just like the one that keeps people from jumping off the Training Center. Just like the one Haymitch used to win the 50th Hunger Games.

His eyes focus on Finnick, knowing he must have brought him back to life, and a thanks is poised on his lips when he hears Katniss say his name. She scoots forward as Finnick moves out of view and she brushes the damp hair away from his forehead, her fingers searching for the pulse in his neck to solidify the fact that he was alive again.

"Careful," he manages. "There's a force field up ahead."

Katniss laughs but he can see she's crying now.

"Must be a lot stronger than the one on the Training Center," he continues, feeling a lot better as his heart pumps blood back into his body. "I'm all right though. Just a little shaken."

Katniss's eyes widen. "You were dead! Your heart stopped!" she blurts before she presses her hand against her mouth. She begins to make choking noises and he knows that means she's about to start sobbing.

"Well, it seems to be working now," he says quickly, trying to console her. "It's all right, Katniss." She nods but he can tell she's definitely not all right. He feels his heart swell just a little at this. He never knew she cared about _that _much. He was hopelessly in love with her, of course, but she had always just been…well, confused. But this sign led him to believe she wasn't as confused as she let on. "Katniss?"

"It's okay. It's just her hormones," Finnick says, giving her questioning look. Finnick was just saying it for the cameras because he more than likely just assumed the pregnancy was made up, but Peeta knew her hormones probably contributed to some of it. He wondered how on earth Finnick couldn't tell she was actually pregnant. Her belly was very noticeable, especially in these jumpsuits.

"How are you?" Finnick says, moving on. "Do you think you can move?"

"No," Katniss answers quickly, wiping her nose on some moss Mags handed her. "He needs rest."

Despite Katniss's objections at first, within ten minutes they're moving again, Katniss in the lead this time because her reconstructed ear can detect the force field. Peeta knew this wasn't true, but he also didn't know how she could tell where the force field was so he let her go.

Finnick chooses the campsite and Katniss volunteers to go find water. Peeta wants to follow her, not willing to let her go out on her own, but she tells him she wants to hunt and he knows he's much too loud for that. So, for the second time, he lets her go.

By the time she comes back, Finnick and Mags have created a hut of some sort out of grass mats. Mags has also made several bowls that Peeta has filled with roasted nuts. Earlier, Katniss tossed nuts in front of her to make sure she didn't run into the force field and Mags had eaten them. Peeta assumed they were safe since Mags ate quite a lot of them and she hasn't died yet.

Katniss holds up a rodent she killed before informing them there is no water.

"Can we eat him?" Peeta asks, gesturing to the animal.

"I don't know for sure. But his meat doesn't look that different from a squirrel's. He ought to be cooked…."

A fire is automatically out of the question, but Peeta has a different idea. He skewers a piece of the meat on the end of a stick and tosses it into the force field. There's a sharp sizzle and the stick is thrown back with the meat blackened on the outside but cooked nicely on the inside. They eat their meal of nuts and the rodent they've decided to call a tree rat. It was a pretty good meal on the first night. Darkness falls and they all know what's coming next. They position themselves at the mouth of the hut and Peeta quickly reaches for Katniss's hand, not entirely ready to see how many of their new friends have died.

Eight tributes' pictures are projected into the sky. The man from District 5, the morphling male from 6, Cecelia and Woof from 8 (Peeta gets a pang in his chest as he remembers Cecelia at the reaping with the three kids clinging to her), both from 9, the woman from 10, and Seeder from 11. They sit in silence until a silver parachute lands in front of them. No one moves.

"Whose is it, do you think?" Katniss finally asks.

"No telling. Why don't we let Peeta claim it, since he's died today?" Finnick says. Peeta reaches out and unties the parachute to reveal a small metal thing he doesn't recognize. All four of them work together to try and figure it out, but nothing comes. Katniss drops down on one of the mats in aggravation, trying at first to lie on her stomach, but finding the mats aren't as soft as a mattress and her stomach is pressed hard and what Peeta can only assume uncomfortably, she flips over, huffing and crossing her arms. Peeta reaches out and rubs his hand over her belly softly, wishing he could feel the baby kick just once before they leave the arena. But he knew she wasn't nearly that big enough for him to feel it. Finnick's eyes follow Peeta's hand and he furrows his eyebrows. Peeta thinks he realizes Katniss's is actually pregnant.

"A spile!" Katniss suddenly exclaims. She jumps up with just a little bit of difficulty and pulls the metal thing she had stuck in the dirt up. Quickly explaining it to Finnick and Mags, she looks around at the trees. Finnick and Peeta drill a hole in a nearby tree with the awl and knives until Katniss can drive the spile into the wood without damaging it. Nothing happens at first, but then just a drop falls off the lip. They wiggle and adjust it until a thin line is running from it. The water is warm, just like everyone and everything else in the jungle, but it sure beats dehydration and salt water. They fill up bowls and take turns drinking and splashing their faces. Katniss downs six bowls before anyone can even tell her to slow down.

When they're all full and hydrated, they settle in for rest and Finnick offers first watch. Peeta lies on the floor and Katniss follows him. He pulls her against him and kisses the top of her head. His arm moves around to her back and trails down her spine. A small sigh escapes her lips and Peeta realizes this is what he'll miss the most, the quiet times with Katniss where there's nothing forced, nothing fake, and it's calm and nice and relaxing. He assures himself as he falls asleep that at least his last moments will be with the girl he loves.

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	8. Chapter 8

Peeta's multiple dreams were filled with Katniss. The dream started with him standing in the meadow, the tips of his fingers brushing against the tall grass. He heard Katniss's laugh, something he didn't hear as much as he wanted but he seemed to fall in love with her even more when she laughed, and saw the end of her braid disappear behind the trees. There was no fence separating the District from the woods so Peeta quickly followed her, wanting to see her. As he walked, he received small hints to remind him she was still there; the crunch of a leaf, her laugh or her voice saying his name.

He felt like he was in one of those stories his mother used to tell him at night. Old, old stories almost as old as the earth. The one he had in mind was where these little men who where half-goat half-human (satyrs, his mother had called them) would chase after beautiful women who would change into trees as soon as the satyrs would get close enough to touch them.

Peeta kept pursuit though, pushing through the trees into a clearing. Katniss was there, smiling at him that removed any trace of doubt that she loved him. She was wearing a beautiful strapless white dress, the one she had worn during the Victory Tour in District 3, Peeta's favorite dress she'd worn the entire tour. She looked absolutely beautiful, her hair in a braid like always, no make up and her cheeks flushed.

"Peeta," she said, extending her arms. He immediately moved into them, pulling her tightly against him, pressing his lips against the valley of her shoulder and neck. Her own lips brushed against his jaw line before she pulled his head up and kissed him, her lips fitting perfectly against his. She was saying his name again but it sounded more panicked. Her hands gripped his shoulders and she shook him hard.

Peeta woke with a start. Katniss was shaking his shoulder roughly, no longer in her white gown, telling him he had to move now. Confused and still sleepy he pulled himself up and stumbled out of the small hut they had made shelter in.

He could see why Katniss was panicking; thick, sickly sweet smelling mist was slowly creeping towards them. Katniss had blisters over her arms. By the time it took Peeta to be fully awake, Katniss was already dragging him through the jungle, yelling at him to run. Finnick was ahead of them with Mags slung over his shoulder. Peeta lied about being fine after the force field. He was getting dizzy and the world was spinning but he had to keep running. He knew he was going too slow. His fake leg kept slowing him down and he was getting caught on uplifted roots.

Droplets of the mist spring free and land on their skin. It burns, but not like the burns Peeta gets from bumping against the oven. They burn like chemicals, less heat and more intense pain. He can feel the left side of his face twitching roughly as if the skin was trying to jump free. Peeta, his mind consumed with how safe Katniss and the baby are, gets caught in a knot of creepers and falls forward. As Katniss tries to help him, her arms begin to have spasms. The mist is targeting their nerves.

Katniss realizes this just moments after Peeta and she yanks him up, both of her arms twitching uncontrollably. Finnick loops back around and hauls Peeta, trying to make up for lost time. He stops just a few yards away from the mist.

"It's no good," he pants. "I'll have to carry him. Can you take Mags?" he asks Katniss. Peeta wants to protest. He wants to tell them he can run, but he knows with his artificial leg he will only slow them down. So, instead of telling them to go on without him, he lets Finnick hand him his trident and lift him onto his shoulder. Katniss tries her best to carry Mags, but Peeta can see her arms are twitching and it's hard for her to keep pace. She falls twice, but manages to get back on her feet. By the third time, she doesn't get up.

"It's no use," she says to Finnick. "Can you take them both? Go on ahead, I'll catch up"

But Peeta knows she's trying to assure them even though she expects to stay behind. He can't see Finnick's face, but he hears him say, "No. I can't carry them both. My arms aren't working. I'm sorry, Mags. I can't do it."

Peeta doesn't hear anything else until the cannon fires. He whips himself around to see Mags has disappeared and Katniss takes a step towards the mist. Finnick is moving on before Katniss can say anything. Peeta is shocked. Mags just sacrificed herself? For who? He doesn't understand.

They go at a diagonal and soon, they collapse on the jungle floor, Peeta on top of Finnick and Katniss to finish them off. Katniss says something but it comes out as a strange croaking noise. She repeats her words.

"It's stopped."

Peeta turns his head towards the mist and can see it's becoming thicker, as if pressed up against a glass wall. It begins to rise slowly until not a single wisp is left.

Peeta rolls away from Finnick, his own arms beginning to twitch, trying to catch a breath as though the vacuum in the sky had sucked away the air in his lungs. His eyes sweep across the jungle close to them, his natural instinct to constantly check for danger kicking in. He immediately notices two bright orange monkeys poised in a tree.

"Mon-hees," Peeta says, trying to inform Finnick and Katniss but the words coming out distorted. For a while, they watch each other until Peeta, wanting to get away in case they attack, pulls himself to his knees and begins to crawl towards the beach. Katniss and Finnick follow him. Peeta sticks his hand into the water and quickly draws back as though he were being burned. Curious, he sticks his hand in and yes, it's very painful, but also, little wisps of a milky substance leeches out of the wounds in his hands.

Katniss is doing the same thing, going underwater limb by limb until all of the mist is drawn out of his skin. His jumpsuit is close to a perforated rag, so he takes it off and remains in his underclothes and shoes. Eventually, after he opens his eyes underwater and sniffs the water into his sinuses painfully, he and Katniss help Finnick who seems to not want to move.

"I'm going to try and tap a tree," Katniss says after Finnick submerges his head and comes back up.

"Let me make the hole first," Peeta says. "You stay with him. You're the healer."

Katniss rolls her eyes, and Peeta pulls a knife from his belt and makes his way to the trees. He finds a good tree about ten yards away and starts to drill a hole in the tree with his knife. He can hear Katniss and Finnick splashing around and talking behind him. He's almost finished with the hole when Katniss says his name.

"Peeta," she says, her voice very measured and calm. "I need your help with something."

"Okay, just a minute. I think I've just about got it," he replies. He hits the knife into the tree one more time and the hole appears. "Yes, there. Have you got the spile?"

"I do. But we've found something you'd better take a look at," Katniss continues. "Only move towards us quietly so you don't startle it."

Peeta feels a little jolt of surprise at her words and turns away from the tree. Katniss's bow is loaded and he can tell something's not right. "Okay," he says casually. He begins to make his way toward her, trying not to flinch at how loud he's being. Katniss and Finnick keep their eyes glued to him as though they're avoiding looking directly at something. When he's just five yards away from beach when he senses a mass of bodies hanging over him. His eyes flicker up, only for a moment, and the monkeys, identical to the ones he saw earlier, explode like a bomb. They climb down the trees and, panicking slightly, he begins to hack at them.

Soon, Katniss is there with him, shooting arrow after arrow into the things with Finnick spearing them like fish. He notices one clawing Katniss's leg and he stabs it quickly before kicking it away. With his mind focused on not letting any of the beasts make contact with his allies, he barely hears Katniss shout, "Peeta! Your arrows!"

Peeta turns quickly and notices Katniss's sheath is empty. He's sliding off his own sheath full of arrows when Katniss stumbles toward him. He hears a scream and spins in time to see the morphling woman from District 6 throw her arms out as if she were going to embrace the monkey that was targeting Peeta, and it sinks its fangs into her chest.

Peeta drops the sheath and buries his knife into the monkey's back, stabbing it again and again until it releases its jaw. He kicks it away, his eyes sweeping around for more, but strangely, the monkeys are retreating, backing up to tress, fading into the jungle.

"Get her," Katniss says to Peeta. "We'll cover you."

Peeta bends and gently lifts the morphling into his arms. He carries her the last few yards to the beach and lays her on the sand. Katniss kneels next to him and cuts away the material over her chest, revealing four deep puncture wounds.

She lays in the sand, gasping like a fish out of water. Sagging skin, sickly green eyes, her rips as prominent as a child's dead of starvation. She turned to morphling just as Haymitch did to drinking, just as Katniss did to Peeta. Katniss holds her hand, both her and Peeta knowing the only thing they can do is be with her while she dies.

"I'll watch the trees," Finnick says before walking away.

Peeta strokes her hair and remembers the time she and her District partner painted Katniss into a beautiful field of sunflowers. When he speaks, his voice is soft and comforting. "With my paint box at home, I can make every color imaginable. Pink. As pale as a baby's skin. Or as deep as rhubarb. Green like spring grass. Blue that shimmers like ice on water. One time, I spent three days mixing paint until I found the right shade for sunlight on white fur. You see, I kept thinking it was yellow, but it was much more than that. Layers of all sorts of color. One by one."

The morphling stares into Peeta's eyes, hanging on to his words. Her breathing is slowing and her fingers are dabbling in the blood on her chest, making tiny swirling motions.

"I haven't figured out a rainbow yet," continues Peeta. "They come so quickly and leave so soon. I never have enough time to capture them. Just a bit of blue here or purple there. And then they fade away again. Back into the air."

The morphling seems mesmerized, entranced by Peeta's words. She reaches up a trembling hand and paints something on his cheek. He can't see it but he whispers, "Thank you. That looks beautiful."

For a moment, the morphling's face lights up in a grin and she makes a small squeaking sound. Then her blood-dappled hand falls back onto her chest, she gives one last huff of air, and the cannon fires.

Peeta carries her out to the water, careful not to go too deep because he still can't swim, and he releases her. He returns and sits next to Katniss. Finnick joins them moments later with a fistful of bloody arrows. He drops them in the sand next to Katniss. "You might want this."

"Thanks," she replies, picking them up and wadding into the water to wash them off. Peeta stares at the closest monkey, wondering why they were so vicious, when the vines shift and they're suddenly gone.

Katniss joins them again once the arrows are squeaky clean. She asks about the monkeys and Finnick tells her what happened.

Peeta stares off into the jungle, absentmindedly scratching at his itchy, damaged face.

"Don't scratch," Katniss says with her hands clamped between her thighs, obviously resisting the urge to scratch as well. "You'll only bring infection. Think it's safe to try for the water again?"

Peeta works the spile into the tree he originally picked and water flows nicely. They drink and let the warm water pour over their itching bodies. Lastly, they fill a handful of shells with drinking water and go back to the beach.

It is still dark outside, so Katniss suggests she take first watch.

"No, Katniss, I'd rather," says Finnick. She agrees and lies down in the sand next to Peeta. Peeta is nearly asleep when Katniss shakes his shoulder.

"Peeta," she says quietly. He opens his eyes and meets her grey ones. "I can feel it," she says and he can hear the slight terror in her voice.

"Feel what?" he asks, his mind clouded with sleep and exhaustion and the urge to scratch himself senseless.

"The baby."

He reaches between them, excited, but after he shifts his hand around on her belly, the only thing he can feel is her warm skin. He shakes his head, thoroughly disappointed.

"I can't feel it."

Katniss taps her fingertips very lightly against his arm. "It feels like that. Like I have butterflies inside me."

"Oh," Peeta breathes. He's a little caught off guard. He didn't expect her to feel the baby until much later, but obviously not. Peeta buries his nose in Katniss's hair, getting the slightly salty smell from the water and, surprisingly, the smell of her shampoo from the Capitol. This comforts him and he begins to drift off again. He feels Katniss snuggle against him, burying her face in his neck, and then he's asleep.

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_PLEASE READ: _Woohoo! Sorry for any mistakes, and I just started my first job as a hostess in a restaurant so sorry for not updating as quickly as I have been! School starts on Monday though (ew) and there might be a slight slow down on the updates, but I after the first few days, I usually stop paying attention and start writing fanfiction during class (oops). Thank you for all the follows and favorites and reviews, I really really appreciate them! Also, most of the Quarter Quell will be in Peeta's POV because you've already gotten Katniss's. Once we reach Mockingjay though, it'll probably be mostly Katniss. Thanks again and please review!


	9. Chapter 9

When Peeta is roused by Katniss's soft voice, he screams. Leaning dangerously close are two green-tinted, scabbed over faces. Katniss and Finnick fall back into the sand, overcome with laughter. Peeta sits up, frowning and trying to act like he definitely didn't scream. This only made them laugh harder.

Katniss finally calms down enough to speak and she motions for him to get closer to her. "Haymitch sent medicine," she says, lifting the tube and shaking it a little. "I'll help you put it on."

"I'll go get breakfast," Finnick says. He pulls himself up and strolls down to the beach where he runs into the waves and disappears.

"Here," Katniss says, heaving herself up and offering Peeta her hand. He takes it and, making sure he wasn't actually using her hand because he didn't want her to strain, pulls himself up. She squeezes some of the thick medicine into her hand and begins to spread it out over Peeta's face, taking her time to make sure it didn't get in his mouth or eyes or nostrils.

"How did you sleep?" Peeta asks after a moment of silence. Katniss smoothes her fingers over his forehead, avoiding the waves of his blonde hair.

"Well enough. You?"

"I had a dream but I can't remember it. I think it was about the baby."

This was true; when he was rudely awoken, he couldn't quite grasp what his dream was about except he knew it involved their baby. It makes sense since the last thing he was thinking before he fell asleep was how jealous he was that Katniss could feel the baby and he couldn't.

"Really?" Katniss asks, her hands sliding down to his neck. He nodded, watching her face as she concentrated on rubbing the medicine into his skin. She wipes away the sand on his shoulders with her forearms and applies more of the ointment to her hands. Peeta's hands twitch by his side from resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her neck. He wants a break from the Games-just a small one where he can take his time with Katniss and memorize every single thing about her that he hadn't so far, like all her scars and favorite things.

But there were no breaks in the arena, not real ones, and he knew she had no more scars because her skin was wiped clean after their first game. So instead of wrapping his arms around her like he wants to, he just stares at the sun reflecting off of the water until he can see past the spots in his vision. His heart has become so heavy he fears it will sink into his stomach.

"Peeta?"

Katniss has paused, her hands pressed against his skin, looking up at him curiously with her dark eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay?" she asks gently.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

She gives him an unconvinced look, but doesn't ask him again. She circles around him, making sure she doesn't miss any spots, and then puts her green-stained hands on her hips.

"You look fabulous, if I do say so myself. You're all done."

Katniss stands up on her toes and kisses him, surprising him a little.

"Thank you," he replies when she drops back to her feet.

They eat shellfish and, in the process, receive a loaf of bread from District 4. Katniss eats until her belly is full, and she leans back on her hands, feeling satisfied. She glances at Peeta's back and notices a glob of the ointment she mustn't have rubbed in and she reaches forward. Peeta looks over his shoulder and sees Katniss leaning towards him.

"I didn't rub it in well enough," she says. He nods and takes another bite of bread. Eventually, though, her hands freeze and when Peeta looks back again her head is turned and she's staring a little off. He turns his head to the same direction and he sees them. Three figures the color of blood stumbling onto the beach about two spokes away. They look to be in bad shape. One is being practically dragged out by a second, and the third wanders in loopy circles.

"Who's that?" Peeta asks. "Or what? Muttations?"

The three of them watch the other trio carefully, waiting for any signs of attack, but the one being dragged collapses, gets kicked, and the loopy one gets pushed over.

Finnick's face lights up. "Johanna!" he calls and hops up. Before Katniss can tell him she doesn't quite want Johanna in their alliance, he's already running towards her.

"Great," Peeta hears Katniss mumble. He shoves the rest of his bread in his mouth and pulls himself and Katniss up. The two trudge down the beach to where Finnick is now standing next to Johanna. As they get closer, Peeta notices Beetee passed out on the ground and Wiress, who is standing up again, is walking in circles, muttering.

"We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the force field," Johanna was frantically explaining to Finnick.

Much to Katniss's displeasure, Johanna is now a part of their alliance. But she now gets Beetee and Wiress, the two she wanted from the start. With Peeta's help, they clean Beetee, finding a gash about six inches long running from his shoulder blade to below his ribs.

Katniss, being the non-healer she is, leaves Peeta to care for Beetee by himself while she cleans to blood off of Wiress. After the new allies are all cleaned up and fed, Katniss and Johanna end up keeping watch. Peeta kisses Katniss's temple as he makes his way to his mat and wishes her a good night.

He drops onto his newly made mat Finnick had worked on, and listens to Katniss and Johanna talk about Mags and Finnick before he's asleep.

He's rudely woken up again, this time by Katniss ordering him to get up, they have to move. He sits up looking at her through narrowed eyes, still somewhat asleep. She quickly explains to them that the arena is a clock, and then Peeta's fully awake, trying to help Beetee up. Johanna hands him a cylinder of wire and they're on their way to the Cornucopia.

The area is empty, the only thing remaining is the golden horn and the picked over pile of weapons. Peeta sets Beetee down and takes the cylinder of wire from him. There's blood all over it.

"Wiress," he calls. She comes over to him and he hands it to her. "Wash this, will you?"

They watch as the fog starts, signaling it's two o'clock. Wiress scampers over to the edge of the water and begins to wash the coil, singing a song about mice and clocks, a song Peeta's never heard before.

Peeta pulls a smooth leaf he grabbed from the jungle out of his pocked and presses it against his thigh. He takes his knife and carves out the arena. He can feel Katniss peering over his shoulder and he points to the Cornucopia.

"Look how to Cornucopia's positioned," he says to her.

"The tail points toward twelve o'clock," she supplies.

He adds the numbers around the clock and then adds the dangers such as _lightning, blood, _and _monkeys_. That's when they notice Wiress has stopped singing. Katniss is the first to react, loading an arrow and sending it straight into Gloss's temple. Johanna is next, burying her ax blade into Cashmere's chest. Brutus throws a spear at Peeta and he barely has time to react before Finnick knocks it away and ends up getting it in the thigh. He pulls it out and tosses it away.

All four of them begin the pursuit of Brutus and Enobaria when the sand shifts underneath their feet and the world seems to tilt. Peeta buries his knife into the sand and has to dig his feet in the sand to keep from being thrown from the island. Without a warning, they slam to a stop.

Peeta keeps his eyes closed for a minute to make sure he won't throw up and then he lifts himself up. Katniss is a few feet away from him and he quickly reaches her and helps her up.

"Are you hurt?" he asks frantically. She shakes her head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Where's Volts?" Johanna asks. They circle around the Cornucopia but notice he's gone. Finnick spots him about twenty yards out in the water. Katniss, on the other hand, spots Wiress and she's running down the strip of sand. She dives into the water and Peeta watches her. She retrieves the wire from her hand and closes her eyes before returning to them. Minutes later, Beetee and Finnick join them.

Peeta glances around at everyone's faces and he realizes he and Katniss are the only ones in their group that have their district partners. Katniss seems to reach this same realization because just a few seconds later she crosses over to him and wraps her arms around him.

"Let's get off this stupid island," Johanna mumbles.

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Hi hi okay school and work and homework is ripping my apart so sorry for not updating quickly! And sorry that this is a short and boring chapter. Catching Fire will pretty much be the same, but once I reach Mockingjay, everything will basically be completely different. So please stick with me! We can get through this together!

PS feel free to check out my Finnick and Annie oneshot called Sea of Love (Fanfiction won't allow links, but if you go to my stories you'll see it!)

THANK YOU GUYS FOR UNDERSTANDING ABOUT SCHOOL AND WORK!


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